Early the next morning, the wake-up call sounded in the Ming Army's barracks. Xiao Ruxun wanted to lead the troops in today's battle, so there was no need to hide anything.
The cooks' army got up a little earlier than the soldiers. Because there was a big battle today, the soldiers had to eat dry rice. If they ate watery food, the soldiers would be hungry by the time they fought until noon. That would not do.
According to Xiao Ruxun's request, the cooks' army cooked wheat rice in a big pot. Since the wheat was piled up like a mountain, it was not a bad idea to let the soldiers eat dry rice. In order to cook the dry rice in the big pot, they also cut the salted horse meat into pieces and threw it into the rice pot to cook together. As the rice was cooked, it was full of fragrance.
Both dry rice and soup were needed. When they woke up in the morning, they needed to drink a bowl of hot soup to clear their throats and moisten their stomachs. Otherwise, if they only ate, it would be very uncomfortable. Xiao Ruxun also specially told them to put a little oil in the soup.
Salt was especially important. If they did not eat enough salt, it would be uncomfortable. Moreover, it would be easy to lose strength. Before the soldiers went to war, they had to eat their fill and drink enough salt. This way, the soldiers would not be hungry even if they fought until noon.
Xiao Ruxun's rule of leading the troops was quite famous in the Daming Army. This was because Xiao Ruxun cherished the lives of the soldiers. He paid attention to the treatment and protection of the wounded soldiers. Moreover, he paid attention to letting the soldiers eat their fill. When the conditions were right, it was not impossible for them to eat well.
The news that spread out from the Korean battlefield spread throughout the Daming Army. Some people believed it, while others were skeptical.
Now they knew that Xiao Ruxun led the troops because he really cared about the soldiers' food and drink, as well as their safety. Following such a general to fight a war, there was really a guarantee of safety and life.
When the soldiers woke up in the morning, they smelled the rich aroma of rice and meat. They immediately guessed that they were going to eat dry rice and meat.
China's military rations in ancient times did not pay much attention to taste. For ordinary soldiers, especially those who were less well-prepared during the later years of the Daming Dynasty, it was extremely difficult for them to eat their fill, let alone eat well.
Sometimes, there would be days where they could not see any dry rice and could only drink porridge with no salt. Some officers were greedy and narrow-minded and only treated their own servants well. As for the official Ming army, they could not eat well or drink well. When they walked, they felt their heads were heavy and their feet were light. How could this kind of army fight a battle?
Xiao Ruxun treated them very well. He gave them dry rice, meat, salt, and meat soup. It was no different from the New Year.
Therefore, these soldiers, especially those in the Ming Army who did not belong to the ranks of generals, had a very good impression of Xiao Ruxun. They were willing to listen to his orders and fight. Even if they were injured, as long as they did not die, they would be saved and properly protected. Their previous experience had proven this.
Xiao Ruxun gained the morale of the army in a very short period of time. It was unknown if this was Xiao Ruxun's fortune or the Ming Dynasty Army's tragedy.
The soldiers happily lined up to get some rice and soup. Then, they hugged their bowls full of rice and soup and gathered in twos and threes to eat the dry rice and drink the hot soup. The cold morning warmed their bodies in an instant and made them feel good.
Horse meat, to be honest, wasn't considered delicious among the meats, but to the soldiers and ordinary people of this era, being able to eat a mouthful of savory meat was already something that could only be encountered in their dreams. Who cared about pork, beef, or horse meat?
The soldiers happily ate and drank the soup. There was enough food for today. However, there was a rule in the army that they could not eat too much before the war. Otherwise, it would lead to mental exhaustion and delay the war. Being 80% full was the limit. There were special guards watching at the side to prevent the soldiers from eating too much.
Of course, they were not worried. If they won the war, Xiao Ruxun would not be stingy with food.
After a meal, there was a quarter of an hour to rest and solve personal problems. The soldiers found a place to sit and digest their food, drink some water, and check their equipment to see if there was any loss or leakage. After they were ready, they were ready to go. After a quarter of an hour, the army was ready. The bugle sounded and the army gathered.
At this time, Xiao Ruxun had also finished his breakfast and was ready to go. With the help of the guards, he prepared everything and then held a pledging ceremony.
Today's strategy was to defeat the 30,000 Northern Barbarians. The main general was Li Rusong, and the deputy general was Wang Hui.
Li Rusong led the cavalry out of the city early to protect Wang Hui's artillery team as they approached the Northern Barbarians' camp. To be honest, this distance was not enough for the Northern Barbarians to charge. Without the protection of Li Rusong's cavalry, the artillery would not be useful.
"Deputy Wang, let's begin!"
Li Rusong took out the telescope that Xiao Ruxun had given him. He looked at the Northern Barbarians' camp and gave an order to Wang Hui. Wang Hui nodded, pulled out his sword, and raised it towards the sky.
The war drums rumbled and the herald immediately raised the flag in his hand.
"Load the ammunition!"
"Adjust the muzzle!"
"Light the fire! Fire! "
After a series of skillful maneuvers, several Hongbarbarian cannons let out a deafening roar. For the Ming Army soldiers, this was no longer strange. For the Northern Barbarians at Yanmen Pass, this was the first time. Seeing a few clouds of thick smoke sweeping towards them from afar, they were shocked.
Could it be fired so far? It didn't seem so far before, did it? That couldn't be right? How could it suddenly be fired so far?
When the thick smoke landed on the ground, a violent wave of air shook up the sand and stones, causing a bloody storm in the densely packed cavalry formation. The formation that the Northern Barbarians had hastily formed was torn apart by the Hongbarbarian cannons. It was a scene of ghosts wailing and wolves howling, shaking the heavens and earth.
"Reload the ammunition!"
"Adjust the muzzle!"
"Light the fire! Fire! "
The chaos caused by the first round of bombardment was not over yet. The second round of bombardment came quickly. Although the Hongbarbarian cannons could not fire explosive shells, solid shells were enough to throw the Northern Barbarians into chaos for a while. Especially when the horses were frightened, it was much easier to deal with them.
Through the telescope, Li Rusong looked at the chaotic scene of people and horses being thrown off their feet and flesh flying everywhere. He could not help but shake his head.
"These firearms are too powerful. Do you think that after a decade or so, firearms will become even more powerful? Will we have to rely on firearms to fight this war?"
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